Johannesburg - Applications for special votes for the general election will open on Monday, the Electoral Commission of SA (IEC) said on Thursday.
Special votes would be cast on May 5 and 6, as opposed to May 7 when the rest of the country's eligible voters would cast their votes, IEC spokeswoman Kate Bapela said in a statement.
There were two categories of special votes. The first was for those who qualified for a home visit due to physical infirmity, disability or pregnancy.
The second category of special votes was for people who would be absent from their voting district on election day. They could cast their votes at the voting stations where they registered on either May 5 or 6, between 9am and 5pm.
Bapela said that to apply for either category of special vote, voters needed to complete a VEC 1 form, available on the IEC website or from local IEC offices. The form needed to be submitted by hand to the local IEC office in the municipality responsible for the voting district where the special vote would be cast.
“The forms will not be accepted at national or provincial offices and cannot be faxed, e-mailed or posted.
“Special vote applicants may use a proxy to deliver the VEC 1 form to the local IEC office in the municipality where they intend to vote but the form itself must be signed by the voter themselves.”
Only those voters whose pre-approved applications were submitted between Monday and April 17 would qualify to cast a special vote.
Applicants for special votes would receive the outcome of their applications via sms or e-mail, and could check their status on the IEC website. - Sapa